Vice President Sara Duterte said the House of Representatives (HoR) should not single out the probe into the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and dared the lawmakers to also investigate the Office of the President (OP) which was reported as the top confidential and intelligence fund spender for 2023 based on the Commission on Audit’s (COA’s) findings.
In a recent statement, the vice president underscored the political nature of the attacks and questioned the impartiality of targeting her office.
Duterte said if the HoR intend to pass laws on the use of confidential funds they should also investigate the OP.
“I am not answering questions from the House of Representatives, plus the fact, that as I said, this is a political attack. If you are in aid of legislation and want to legislate about confidential funds, you do not target one office, terrorize and torment the employees of that office,” the vice president said.
Duterte called for fairness, proposing a broader approach of investigating many offices with confidential monies rather than focusing solely on her office.
“Why not call the Office of the President who has billions and billions of confidential funds?” Duterte asked.
The OP under President Ferdinand Marcos “Bongbong” Jr. remained to post the highest amount of confidential expenses, according to the COA Annual Financial Report.
The OP spent P2.25 billion and P2.31 billion on confidential and intelligence funds, respectively, in 2023, totalling to P4.56 billion.
The vice president emphasized the need for balanced scrutiny in the legislative process and fairness in addressing issues of public accountability.
Duterte is currently facing two impeachment complaints in the House of Representatives.
